


Thunderbirds: World Tour

by rachfielden_xo



Series: Thunderbirds: World Tour [1]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Dark Magic, Fans, Gen, Good and Evil, Magic, Shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29761560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachfielden_xo/pseuds/rachfielden_xo
Summary: The Tracys have been invited on a world tour by Colonel Casey so they can have a well-deserved break from all rescues. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Wrong! At their final destination, all the fans around the world need to choose their favourite character and whichever brother gets the most votes is awarded a precious crown. It’s between Virgil and Alan. But Alan knows something’s still wrong with Virgil. Will the baby of the family be the hero or villain?
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Thunderbirds: World Tour [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2187369





	1. Receiving The News

International Rescue had fans. They knew they did. It’s like in the movies. Every famous rescue team has fans whether it’s a couple hundred or millions.

It was your average summertime day on Tracy Island. Gordon was chilling by the pool, desperate to catch a tan (even though he already had a good one). Virgil was painting. He wasn’t a huge fan of bright light like the sun. In fact, he wasn’t a huge fan of light in general. Alan was sleeping. What else? Sleeping like a baby upside down on the sofa and having a dream so realistic he was literally pretending to drive TB3 in reality. And Scott was on a mission in the Himalayas rescuing some climbers.

There was a lazy vibe in the villa. Even Jeff found silence very rare despite the fact he’d been living in space for eight years.

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

A call was coming through!

“Finally, a little bit of action in my life.” Said Virgil as he put his paints down.

Scott had heard the sound and checked in while coming home on TB1; he was on his own hologram.

“Gah!” Alan cried falling headfirst off the sofa. “What’s going on?”

“Something.” Gordon had joined them.

John popped up on the hologram too.

“John?” Jeff was puzzled. “Why aren’t you telling us about the mission?”

“Because it’s not me calling.” He said.

“Hello International Rescue,” It was Colonel Casey.

“Colonel? You don’t usually call us,” Jeff’s eyebrows shot up high.

“It’s rare that I do,” she admitted, “but I have some very exciting news for all of you.”

The littlies looked at each other.

“You five boys have been invited on a world tour!”

Silence defended the air.

“WHAT?!” Gordon shrieked.

“Did you just say ‘world tour’? As in, traveling around the world and meeting fans? Like we’re famous?” Virgil needed to know these sudden details.

“Yes. It’s true. A world tour around the world netting fans and having fun.”

“Virg, we are famous. Pretty much everyone knows us!” Alan’s eyes had gone huge at the news.

“I’m sorry Colonel, but we can’t go on this tour. We don’t have time. And besides who’s gonna do all the rescues?” Scott made a point.

“We’ll handle all of that. This is a chance for you to really take a well-deserved break from missions.”

“All right, newsflash over, when do we leave?” Alan was acting so cool about it.

“At precisely, 10:00 AM tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning?!” Everyone cried at the same time.

“OK time to pack my bags, bye people.” Virgil left the lounge to his bedroom to grab his suitcase and start packing.

“Jeff Tracy,” Casey turned her attention to him. “I’ll give you more details later on. I’ll send you the tickets for your boys,”

“Wait? So I’m not going on this trip?”

“No.”

“Oh OK. Just give me these tickets and extra information. How long does this tour last?”

“A whole week starting tomorrow. Tomorrow’s Monday. It’s arranged that your cruise ship A Little Lightning will pick the boys up.”

“Right. Well, this is a new occurrence at such short notice. You hear that, sons? Start packing!”

“Virgil’s got a head start!” Gordon gathered himself before saying it.

“John? Scott? Did you hear all that?”

“Sure did, Dad. I’m approaching home now. I’ll be back very soon.” Then Scott rang off.

“Me too. I’ll be coming down from space right now. I’ll make sure EOS takes care of everything while I’m away.” John ended his hologram.

“Perfect. This might actually work out. Thank you, Colonel.” Jeff smiled up at Casey

“Anytime. Call me if you have any questions.”

“I will.”

—

“Hmm… let’s see. Headphones, check. Phone, check. Guitar, check. Candy, check. Pillow, check.” Alan was in his room and getting ready for the tour. The excitement was bubbling away inside him and he could hardly contain it. “Oh my god I’m gonna roast marshmallows, and eat marshmallows and sleep on marshmallow pillows!!”

“Marshmallow pillows?” Virgil asked as he stood in the doorway.

“Yep! This is so exciting! I’ve never been on tour before.”

“Don’t get your high hopes up too high Sprout,” Virgil sneered.

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone knows I’m the most famous and popular out of all of us. I’ll easily be the winner.”

“OK? And how have you got so many fans?”

“I have my own ways of getting them. It’s so easy. And they’re so weak so they fall for me just like that.” Virgil smirked. “Anyway, why am I even here? I need to pack more.” And with that, the second oldest left Alan’s room.

“Weird…” Alan was confused. “Oh well. I don’t have time to think about that. I have a tour to prep for!”


	2. First Stop, Australia

“Ooh! What about this?” Scott piped up.

He brought up his rescue uniform.

Virgil sighed, “Uh, we’re gonna be on a tour with no missions! When are we gonna need those?”

“If we were going on tour to the Moon I’d still pack this. One never knows, bro. I’m still packing it.”

“Fair point. But it’ll just add extra weight to your luggage.” Shrugged Virgil and zipped his suitcase up.

Finally, everyone was ready.

“Right now you boys be safe, OK? Look after each other. Here are the tickets for the whole trip. Good luck and have fun!” Jeff hugged his sons.

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll make sure we stay safe.” Scott was handed the tickets and some extra cash just in case and also a camera to document their adventures.

Jeff had prepared the family cruise ship called A Little Lightning so they could get to their first destination. Sydney, Australia. It wouldn’t be far and actually, about a third of the journey would be on the boat. Which wasn’t good news for Virgil as he got seasick very quickly.

Bags packed, shades on, tour clothes on, the boys were ready. Jeff gave each of them a kiss on the forehead (which Gordon found gross), before they set off.

“Goodbye!” Grandma waved and blew them all a kiss.

“Enjoy yourselves!” Kayo added.

“I’ll miss you all. Take care!” Jeff finished.

The horn on the ship sounded, its deep noise bellowing through the air, and A Little Lightning began slowly making its way away from Tracy Island.

“Oh, I will miss them dearly.” Grandma wiped tears from her eyes.

—

“Bags-ee the biggest bedroom!” Gordon shouted as they left the island.

“I think Scott should have that one,” said Virgil, “he’s the leader and oldest.”

“Awww, please?” Gordon made his eyes go really big and innocent like a puppy. The eldest wasn’t falling for that one again!

“I’m not falling for your fake cute act,” Scott said sharply. “The main room’s mine.”

Gordon huffed and pouted like a toddler.

“I want to just chill and read a book.” John always wanted to be alone.

“Hey read this! Welcome aboard A Little Lightning. International Rescue’s very own personal cruise ship. Only for friends and family use. Onboard there are many luxury features like bars, a full length pool, en suits in every bedroom, and a juice bar.” Said Scott, reading the brochure.

“Scott, this cruise has everything! And a moving floor.” Alan had already dashed off and grabbed many smoothies from the juice bar. Literally he had his arms full.

Moving floor? Uh oh.

That’s when Virgil felt it. He looked down at his feet and saw the floor was moving because of the ship bobbing up and down. The smile dropped from his face and he felt sick suddenly. Swallowing hard, he tried to keep his breakfast down. Virgil knew he shouldn’t have had any because of this!

“Err, Virg? Are you OK? You don’t look too good.” Scott had noticed Virgil.

I don’t feel too good. The second brother thought, “No, I’m fine. Just tired. I woke up early this morning.”

“Hmm.” Scott wasn’t convinced but went with it anyway.

“I’m going to unpack in my room,” Virgil said, “I don’t want to be carrying this all day.”

—

But what Virgil was really doing was trying not to throw up. He unpacked fast, took some of his seasickness medicine (thank God he’d packed it), and then leaned over the balcony railing. That’s what usually worked to stop his stomach from rolling.

“Urgh…” he groaned.

A knock at the door.

Virgil’s ears pricked up. Quickly he stood up straight, swallowed down the medicine that had caught in his throat, then opened the door. It was Alan in his swimming gear.

“Hey bro! Come join us by the pool!”

Virgil looked back into his room, “Err yeah sure. Just give me a minute to get ready.”

“OK. See you there.”

Virgil practically slammed the door in Alan’s face. He skidded into his wardrobe and dug like a crazy person through his suitcase.

Damn it!

He hadn’t forgotten his swimming shorts had he?

More rushing.

Result.

“Yes! Got them!” Virgil ran into the bathroom, got dressed, and grabbed his pencil and sketchbook. He wasn’t planning of actually swimming. He needed some time to let his insides settle.

He legged it out of his room and to the pool. Everyone else was already there.

“Virg!” Gordon yelled from his watermelon float, “come join us.”

“Uh no thanks. I’ll be with John and sketching.”

“He’s boring.” Alan hissed to Gordon as he bobbed up and down on his pink flamingo float.

“Ugh seriously, no connection?” Gordon complained staring up at his phone.

“Are you gonna take a break off social media, or are you too handsome?” John rolled his eyes.

Gordon thought for a sec, “I’m too handsome.” He concluded.

—

The day went by at its own pace. And soon it was actually time to start getting ready to hop off the ship. I mean, Australia wasn’t far from New Zealand. Only about five hours on boat. And man, Virgil couldn’t have been happier to see land. He really wasn’t a sea kinda person. As the boys waited to get off, Virgil suddenly grabbed his middle and tried not to be sick everywhere.

“Woah, Virg! You’re really not OK. You’re clearly seasick.” Scott went over to his brother and rubbed his back soothingly.

“You look peaky too. Did you pack your medicine?”

A cough, “Yes.”

“Have you taken some?”

“Yes.”

“OK, just try and hold yourself together. It’s only about another fifteen minutes before we get off anyway. We’ve arrived at Sydney Australia!”

Australia. The home of the Sydney Opera House and Great Barrier Reef. What a beauty! There were many fans waiting for them at the dock.

The Tracys looked at each other and smiled. What a fun time they were going to have.


	3. Welcome to  Australia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all the Aussie TAG fans out there, this part is for you :) @gumnut-logic @ak47stylegirl

The cheers. The screams. The whoop-whoops! They really had fans. Real fans!

“Oh God,” Alan gasped as he got off A Little Lightning.

“Tell me about it,” breathed Scott.

“Perfect time for a selfie with them.” Gordon grabbed the camera Jeff had given them and turned it on. “Who wants a selfie?” He shouted into the crowd.

They went wild.

“Come on guys get in the picture.”

They posed and SNAP. The photo was taken.

“Send that to all of us on WhatsApp,” John said over the defending sound of the fans, “we all need that first tour memory.”

The boys went along on the red carpet, yes, RED CARPET, and to a limo. International Rescue was getting a limo?! This was paradise! They got in but before Alan stepped a foot inside, one of the men stopped him, “Mr. Tracy, please may I ask, what’s going on with your hair?”

Alan gulped.

Oh no. He’d forgotten about his duo-coloured hair. Half black. Half blonde.

“I… umm… I dyed it half black.”

“Dyed it half black?” The man asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, that’s my style. I like being odd and unlike everyone else.” This was a total lie.

“Oh OK. Get in the car, Mr. Tracy. You’re all off to a special place.”

Alan did so and the man strapped into the driver's set. Honestly! It was 2060! Why was he driving? Only Parker did that. Alan and Gordon had sat next to each other in the plush red seats along with the other three. Virgil was busy fiddling with a small remote control he’d found. He felt much better now he was on land again. Scott had his phone out and was texting his dad. John was reading.

Then they saw it. The chocolate. The sweets. The candy. Everything layered out as treats for the journey. Gordon and Alan looked at each other. Virgil continued to play with the remote. The blondes started fighting each other for the sweets, wanting to have more than the other. They stuffed the chocolate into their mouths like mad people. “Mmmm.” Gordon sighed as he chewed.

“You’re looking a little washed out, let me help you out.” Scott stopped texting and took out a men's makeup brush. He began brushing it across Virgil’s cheek.

“Ew, stop,” Virgil firmly pushed Scott’s arm away, “I’m plodding.”

“Well, it’s not very attractive.” Scott took a lollipop from a plastic bucket and chewed on that.

Alan took a small cake from a tin, took one bite, and immediately stopped.” Oh,” he gasped, whacking Gordon’s arm to get his attention, “these. It’s salty like nuts but it’s sweet like I don’t know what.”

“Let me see,” Gordon demanded, his mouth full.

Alan turned to face his older blonde brother and opened his mouth. Bits of cake fell out. It was disgusting. Gordon’s face scrunched up at the sight and he shoved Alan to get the cake from him. The moment he began eating it, his face softened and he sighed in amazement. The cake was really good.

Virgil held the remote control up a little and pressed a button. Something — a hatch — opened behind him.

Scott spun around to see what was outside. “Look!” He cried.

This caught everyone, including John’s, attention. Outside was a broken bridge. The limo was about to drive into the deep water below!

“It’s a trap!” Alan shouted from the back.

All the Tracys screamed and hugged each other for protection. Like that would do anything. They screamed for what felt like an eternity but nothing ever happened. What had happened was a magic barrier had opened up to reveal a secret bridge across the body of water. No one was harmed. The limo drove across the bridge like it was nothing!

“What just happened?” Alan questioned.

“It must be magic.” Said Scott.

Virgil laughed nervously. He turned around to face to driver's cab and said, “Hey!” and tapped the hatch frame. “Did this little button just open up the magic barrier?”

“Nope,” the driver replied. “This opens the magic barrier.” he held up a golden remote, “that one opens my garage. And this button.” he pressed one on the overhead control panel. The hatch slid shut neatly. Virgil pulled a face as if saying Oh yep you’re shutting us out.

“OK.” He laughed. “Ha, nasty. I like that guy.”

—

The limo drove down the bridge and to a hotel. A private one to be exact. Gordon recognized it immediately. Only famous people, VIPs, megastars and others like that went here for a holiday. It was the Sydney Grand Central Hotel. According to Gordon, it had shiny marble floors, chandeliers in every room, a ballroom, a hall with a massive stage, and a freshwater outdoor pool. These boys would be living luxury.

The limo pulled into the driveway which had huge fountains on each side. Here they were even more fans. Well, not really fans as such but people from the hotel welcoming them in. The driver got out to open the door of the limo. The second he did so, two particular blondes fell out on top of each other. During the final drive up to the hotel, Gordon had found a music player but couldn’t work out how to start it. So Alan offered to help but Gordon wouldn’t allow it and eventually, they began fighting again.

“Oh AHHH!!” Alan fell out of the car first onto his back. Gordon was right behind him but didn’t exactly fall out.

Gordon stood up and put his foot on Alan’s chest so he had trouble breathing. They were now arguing over a blue scarf-looking thing. Or maybe just a piece of fabric. “You got everything else why do you want whatever this is?” Alan asked.

“Cuz you want it!” Gordon yanked the fabric away from Alan.

“No!” The little blonde cried.

As Virgil stepped out of the limo, a hotel assistant walked up to them, a lovely smile on her face and her arms outstretched.

“Guys, guys, guys,” Virgil hissed. “We have an audience.”

Gordon blew a stray strand of hair away from his face in a causal way. “Just clean it up.” He said. “Get up.” And pulled Alan up using one arm.

“Hello, International Rescue. Welcome to Sydney Grand Central. I’m the head assistant, Jessie. Feel free to ask me any questions as I give you a tour of the place.” She gave them all a firm handshake. “Follow me as we start.”

“What shall we do with our bags?” Asked John.

“Oh just give them to David. He’ll take them straight to your room.”

“Our room? You mean, we’re sharing?” Scott’s eyes were big at this news.

“Yes, you’re sharing. We thought that your brothers need to share. It’s what they do.”

Oh no. Scott closed his eyes in disappointment. He knew what was coming if they shared.

—

Once Jessie finished the hotel tour, the Tracys thanked her massively, pleased that they now (sort of) knew the place. The receptionist gave Scott the room key and he unlocked the door.

*whistle sound*

Their hotel room was AWESOME!

It had a high ceiling with tall glass sliding doors, a marble floor, and clean white walls. There was an en suite with two showers, a gorgeous chandelier swinging from the half glass ceiling, and a balcony in which you had a view into the back section where the ginormous pool, water slides, sun loungers, and juice bar were! And, of course, there were five beds in the room.

John almost fainted as he walked in.

“Oh my god! This is perfect. We’re gonna have so much fun!” Alan jumped onto the bed nearest the balcony.

“We’re only here for a day,” John reminded him, “tomorrow we need to be off to Tokyo in Japan.”

“Aww, why? It’s so lovely here. And it’s so close to home.” Wined Gordon.

“We leave because we have to. Suck it up and deal with it. Now, what shall we do first?”

“Oh woah!! Look at this!” Alan was at the balcony now and staring down into the pool/lounging area of the hotel. “There’s no way that’s actually Zoë Ryland.”

“Zoë Ryland?” Virgil and the others ran to the balcony.

“It is, it is! She’s actually here! I’m in love with her songs, her voice is so beautiful.” Gordon gushed. “Come on we have to go meet her.” The second youngest got dressed into his swimming gear at record speed and was out of the room within minutes. He even forgot to take his phone!

The rest of the brothers shrugged at each other but followed him after they’d got changed too. After all, they were only in Sydney for one day. Might as well make the most of it.

—

The day sadly went by really quickly but there was one more event to go to in the Sydney Grand Central in the evening. The hotel was opening up to the public so only fans of International Rescue could see them. The show was going to be simple:

First, the host of the show, the famous Craig Windsor, would introduce a beginning performance by Zoë Ryland herself (lucky for Gordon), then she would leave the stage and the Tracys would make their grand entrance. They would perform their cover for a well-known song called Confident by Demi Lovato (the whole music performance had been rushed at the last minute but luckily the boys knew some forms of a band and worked it out soon enough). After that Scott would give a speech to everyone about how happy he and his brothers are to be on the tour. And it tops off, there would be a meet-n-greet at the end. The chance to really become close to fans!

It was organized perfectly. They were so excited. As night drew in, Jessie came to their room.

“Oh, boys!” She chirped.

“Come in,” Scott called.

“It’s me, Jessie. Have you got anything nice and smart to wear for tonight? The fans will be expecting you to do so.”

Silence rippled through the room. Smart clothes?

Virgil felt like swearing out loud right then but controlled himself. “We… don’t have… anything smart to wear.” He said slowly as the truth dawned on him.

“Actually you’ll be surprised that we do.” Scott unzipped his suitcase to take out… their rescue uniforms!

“Scott, literal lifesaver, thank God you brought those with you.” John sighed in relief.

“See, Virg? I told you we’d need these!” Scott smiled smugly at his second brother.

“Well down for making a correct assumption. When do we need to be on stage Jessie?”

“In an hour.”

“An hour?!” The brothers cried together.

“Oh Lord, get moving people! We have a stage to crash.” Alan jumped up from his bed.

—

“…yeah you got me underestimated!” Zoë Ryland finished the lyrics to her song called Underestimated. Lucky for Gordon, it was one of his favourites.

The Tracys were standing directly underneath the stage in glass tubes that pointed upwards. When it was their turn to make an entrance, the metal platform they were each standing on would slowly move up out of the tube and into the open.

Where all the fans were.

It was scary.

Scott had the microphone in hand. John was going to play the drums. Virgil, backup singer. Gordon, guitar and backup singer. And Alan, electric guitar. So far the show was running like clockwork. Everything went perfectly to plan.

Craig was announcing the brothers next. “And now… the boys you’ve all been waiting. Please give it up for the Tracy brothers!”

Scott almost fell over as he felt the platform move up. A glance at his brothers as the same thing happened to them.

There were going up onto the stage. In front of thousands of fans. This was it. There was no turning back now. Time to make their big show come to life!


	4. (Part 4, Bit 1) Next Stop, Tokyo

Alan was fuming. Absolutely fuming. The show at the Sydney Grand Central Hotel had finished last night and it was the next day. International Rescue packed their suitcases then left for A Little Lightning.

Next stop, Tokyo in Japan.

But the second they were on board, Alan practically dragged Virgil by the arm to a private separate corridor far away from everyone. He needed to know why. Why Virgil had done what’d he’d done last night. The bad thing was, no one else noticed! No fans, no one! Not even his brothers.

“What was that?!” The angry shout from the little blonde’s mouth exploded from him without hesitation. “What did you do to them? And don’t even think about lying Virg because I saw everything!”

“You didn’t see anything.” Said Virgil coolly.

“I did!”

“No. You. Didn’t.” Virgil replied, getting frustrated.

“Well, what do you call this then?!” Alan shoved his phone in Virgil’s face as a video played.

The video showed all the fans around the Sydney Grand Central stage cheering the boys and screaming screams of delight and everything. But during their performance, Virgil began breathing in deeply. Like he was breathing in some form of smoke or something. Once he’d finished, he opened his eyes and smiled one of his evil smiles. His eyes also flashed green again.

“What? How did you capture that on camera?” The second oldest demanded.

“I have my ways,” Alan smirked gleefully. “Explain what you just saw.”

Virgil actually didn’t know what to say. Millions of thoughts went through his head until one settled there and he had an idea. A smirk. “You must want to be famous really badly,”

“What? No, I don’t! I’m fine with the number of fans I have. I don’t care about world fame. Unlike you,”

“Oh, part of you must care, little brother. Why else would you film me like that?”

This time it was Alan’s turn to be speechless.

“Exactly! I always win. Just admit it. You don’t know the first thing about world fame, and I already top the charts.”

“If fame is so important to you, why do you act like you’re so willing to challenge it?”

“Pop quiz! What happens when you dare to fight the toughest member of a rescue team?”

Alan pondered the question in his mind but his thought was cut short when Virgil automatically answered for him, “You don’t know? Seriously? And you’re meant to be Dad’s prized pupil who just graduated high school.”

“Don’t you dare bring Dad into this!”

“Whatever. I don’t know why I waste my time with you. I’ll leave you to be alone. But I’ll tell you now Alan, you don’t know the first thing about fitting in.”

Then Virgil left Alan in the dark. After a quick hard punch to the ribs, he laughed wickedly to himself and strode away. The light above Alan’s head flickered madly until it went out totally, leaving him in the dark corridor.

—

Scott’s phone began to buzz madly on the side table. He was in his summer clothes and chilling by the pool on A Little Lightning, reading the latest copy of Men's Health magazine. Scott picked up his phone and saw that his dad was trying to call. He pressed the green button to accept, “Hey Dad.” He smiled.

“Hello, Scott my son. I just wanted to check in and see how everything’s going with you. I miss you.”

“I miss you too. How’s the rescue business going without us?”

“Surprising smoothly. We haven’t had any major situations yet so the GDF had been able to handle them.”

“That’s great news. As you can probably tell, I’m by the pool and reading my magazine.” Scott picked up Men's Health and showed it to the camera.

“That’s cool. So I guess I’ll speak to you soon Scott.”

“You too Dad. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Scott ended the call just as John came over with some drinks from the juice bar. “Who were you talking to?”

“Dad.”

“Just a general catch-up?”

“Yeah.”

They both sighed. John sat down next to Scott. Scott piped up, “You know… I don’t think we deserve this vacation,”

“What do you mean? Of course, we deserve it. We haven’t had a proper break like this in ages.”

“I know that it’s just…” a pause. “Oh never mind. It doesn’t matter. What drink did you get me?”

“Your favourite of freshly squeezed mango, orange, and strawberry with a light pinch of sugar.”

“Thank you.”

Another sigh. Then they just sat in silence staring into the wide, blue ocean.

“Hey, you two!” Gordon’s forever loud voice broke the moment. “Are you gonna join me in the pool or what?”

“Typical Gordon. Always in the pool.” John laughed.

“Shall we join him?” Scott looked at John.

“Oh go on then. My book on astrophysics can wait.”

—

Virgil finished his new entry in his diary. He liked to keep one. In his eyes, it was a nice way to escape from everyday life when in a particular mood. Virgil put his book and pen to one side and got up to get dressed for the pool. He’d heard Gordon call Scott and John for a session and thought it would be good to join them.

He left and didn’t lock the door. He never did. He always had a nasty habit of losing important keys to stuff.

What Virgil didn’t know was that Alan was waiting for him to leave. Alan had snuck around a corner and waited patiently for a long time for this moment. The second Virgil turned the corner, Alan made his move. Tiptoeing down the hall until he reached Virgil’s room door. Ugh, why did it need to be one of these knobs which could make noises?

That didn’t matter now.

Something was up with Virgil and Alan was determined to find out what.

Squeak… scrape… click!

Success in getting into the room!

Alan let out a sigh of relief. “Now, just look for anything that doesn’t seem right.”

But everything looked right! There was no way he was suspicious, right?

The dairy! Alan had never seen it before. In fact, he didn’t even know Virgil kept a diary. “Time to see what he’s written,” the blonde said.

He went over to the side table and opened up the book. The cover was actually really nice; green with swirly white patterns going all around the sides. Alan opened it up and began reading. What he found blew his mind.

“What is this? This isn’t a diary!” He gasped.

Instead of the ramblings of a 20-year-old guy's life problems, thoughts, and opinions, the pages of the “diary” were filled with spells. Magic spells! And they didn’t sound very nice either. Alan flicked through each page, reading some out loud:

The fans in the world,

They know I’m right,

As they’re further,

Hypnotised into the night.

Make it black,

Or make it green,

I’m the meanest villain,

They’ve ever seen!

They don’t know what hit ‘em,

Through night and day,

That’s how it’s easy…

“To get my way.” A voice behind Alan finished the spell off for him.

Virgil.

No.

He’d been found.

Alan whipped around and there he was. Virgil. In the doorway and a face like thunder. Virgil’s face calmed down but he went into sneaky/manipulative mode. The second oldest walked into the room slowly, shutting the door behind him so there was no way Alan could make a runner.

Virgil began circling him. “You know, Alan, it’s rude to go through other people’s stuff without their permission.”

“Believe me, I know that.” Alan snapped back.

“So why were you going through my diary?”

“Virgil, isn’t a diary!” Alan couldn’t help himself. He shouted at his brother, tears beginning to sting his eyes, “This is a spellbook! Why do you have a spellbook?”

“Why not?”

“What have you been doing to your fans?! There’s literally a spell here in which the final lines are ‘As they’re further hypnotized into the night’! Have you been…” Alan voice almost chocked him as he said it, “hypnotising them?”

“I would never, little bro. I’m far to popular for that.”

Alan rolled his eyes. Ugh, Virgil was being so vain about his popularity. “Virgil this isn’t a joke! This isn’t funny. It’s serious!”

“I know. Now give it to me.”

“Never!”

“Give me my spellbook now.”

Alan glared at Virgil with fire in his eyes. Virgil was a lot bigger and stronger than him, but he was determined to stand up to him. Once it was clear that baby brother wasn’t giving his book back, Virgil went to extreme measures. “Fine. I guess I’ll have to do it the hard way.”

It wasn’t long before Alan was pinned against a wall firmly. Virgil squeezed his wrists so hard, it pretty much stopped the blood circulation. “Ow…” Alan winced.

“Haha! Not so brave now, are you?”

Alan smirked. “Or am I? I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, bro.” And with that, the youngest Tracy threw a hard punch at Virgil’s nose.

Virgil cried out in pain! He let go of Alan’s other wrist and stumbled back, a hand covering his nose which had turned into a scarlet fountain, much to Alan’s delight.

Holding the spellbook tightly, Alan slid through Virgil’s legs on his knees and stood up neatly once he reached the other side. Virgil let go of his nose and growled as Alan fled the room in a quick movement.

Alan was free to go.

Hugging the book against his chest, he made his way to his room onboard A Little Lightning.

He’d had more than enough drama for one day. It was time to keep this book safe away from danger.


	5. (Part 4, Bit 2) Vicious Little Devil

Alan hid the spellbook somewhere Virgil didn’t know about. A secret box under the floor. The hidden door was underneath a fluffy carpet and only Alan had the key. It was genius!

Once he’d got into his swimming gear and met his brothers by the pool, he began to feel a little off. Not like he was going to be sick or anything. Just off. Out of place. Like he didn’t belong.

He squirmed around on his lounger and closed his eyes to try and get rid of the waves of dizziness washing over him. Alan lay on the lounger for what felt like hours — it was actually only fifteen minutes.

“Hey, do you wanna have a drink?” The sudden appearance of Gordon and his voice made Alan jump.

“For God’s sake Gordon!” He snapped. “You scared me to death. And no, I don’t want a drink!”

Gordon backed away from Alan at this. “OK, I was just asking. No need to be so snappy about it.” Then left.

Snappy? Alan was shocked. Did he really just speak to Gordon like that? His tone of voice had gone from normal and kind to biting and harsh. He was speechless. Alan plucked a strand of hair from his head and looked at it sorrowfully.

Black. He’d never forget Virgil’s 20th birthday. He’d been hit in the heart with evil magic from the Hood’s sceptre. Over time, it had caused his hair to go from blonde to black. Alan inspected his arms and bare chest. He could see dark lines creeping down his body slowly. How long would it take until they went all the way down to his feet? And if his hair went fully black, would anyone be able to change it back to blonde again?

Because he still didn’t feel himself, maybe a juice drink from the bar wasn’t a bad idea. He met Scott and made himself his favourite: watermelon with squeezed orange, strawberry, and mango. As he slurped his drink from the glass, his mind drifted over to what happened in Virgil’s room earlier on. Seriously! The guy had had a spellbook on his person with no suspicions for years!

Scott tapped Alan on the shoulder. The youngest Tracy had an urge to bark at Scott and tell him not to interrupt his thoughts like that but controlled himself.

“You OK? You seem a little in thought,” said Scott.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about… stuff,”

“OOOOKKK…” the eldest replied slowly before sipping his juice again.

“Heya Virg!” Gordon yelled from somewhere in which Alan wasn’t sure where. “Where’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

Alan shot his gaze to the entrance to the pool area and there Virgil was. He’d cleaned up his bloody nose, now it looked like nothing went down. The youngest didn’t want to be around his raven-haired brother so he took his glass of juice and began to leave.

But as soon as he stood up, the waves of dizziness came back, even more, powerful than the first time. He shook his head roughly but that didn’t do anything except make it worse. He leaned from side to side suddenly before completely losing his balance. Alan heard the sound of shattering glass somewhere around him but his head hurt too much to move. He closed his eyes in prayer that this feeling would go. It didn’t.

“Alan!” Someone cried. “Alan!”

He took one final breath before his world plunged into total darkness.

—

“Alan?” The same voice he’d heard before his blackout.

Scott.

Virgil.

Had they helped him?

What about John and Gordon?

Damn, his head hurt so much. Groaning, Alan slowly opened his eyes. He was hit by blinding lights so he quickly shut them.

“It’s OK little bro,” said a different voice. “I’m here. We’re here.”

“Are you alright? You passed out near the pool after a hard fall on the concrete poolside. Thank God your shattered glass of juice missed your face.”

Scott.

It was Scott’s voice.

“Scott? Is that you?” Alan finally fully opened his eyes and saw his brothers leaning over him.

“Yes, it’s me.”

Alan sighed in relief. But the lights of the medical center on A Little Lightning began to hurt his eyes again so he closed them.

“That’s right little brother,” Virgil touched Alan’s soft blonde hair, “get some sleep. It’ll do you good.” But that one touch made Alan’s behaviour change wildly.

“No,” he growled, his voice was much deeper now, “I won’t.”

“Alan?” Virgil’s eyebrows went down a little.

“I said I won’t!” Alan’s eyes burst open but… the colour! Oh, their colour! They weren’t their usual bright gorgeous blue, but a rich devilish red!

“Oh my God…” whispered Virgil in horror.

Alan breathed in and out uncontrollably for a few seconds before he struck. The little devil’s first move was grabbing Virgil’s arm and throwing him over his head. Virgil crashed onto the floor behind Alan.

“What the-?!” Scott cried. “Alan, what’s wrong with you? Have you gone mad?”

Alan continued to break havoc in the room by chucking things off the shelves, ripping things apart, and ending by leaping onto Scott’s chest and pinning him down!

“Alan!” John shouted and pulled him off.

Alan screamed his lungs out, desperate to get away but John was strong. He couldn’t wriggle free. Virgil was panicking. He couldn’t think of anything logical to do to stop his baby brother so he did the only thing that lingered in his mind.

Virgil took Alan by his shoulders roughly and read out a spell! The second eldest’s eyes began to glow green as he did so:

If evil wins,

The world will end,

So please, right now,

Let’s make amends.

“Oh!” The youngest gasped, stumbling back.

Everyone stared at Virgil with amazement.

“Virgil what did you do!?” John cried.

“Oh my— it worked!” Virgil couldn’t be happier. “It really worked.”

“What worked?” Scott helped himself up off the floor.

“It doesn’t matter. But at least I helped Alan snap out of his wicked behaviour.”

“Yes,” Scott nodded slowly. “Yes, you did.”


	6. Welcome to Tokyo

“Welcome to Tokyo,” said the administrator in her best English voice. “It’s great to finally meet you, five boys. How long are you staying?”

The Tokyo hotel they were staying in was much more casual and normal. The Tracys got out their sunglasses so that on the route to the hotel, they wouldn’t be swamped by fans as they left the dock.

Tokyo was a beautiful city and forever full of life. There was always so much to see and do and Gordon couldn’t get enough of it. From a young age, he’d always loved being in large, busy cities and going around on shopping sprees. Scott didn’t blame him. With his fashion style, everyone would think he was a born city boy.

“Ooh, ooh! Look at this! Can we go to Master Boss please?” He was pointing to a men's clothing store that sold expensive designer clothes. Stuff like suits, shirts, belts, and even shoes.

“No, Gordo, we can’t,” Scott sighed. “We need to get to the hotel. And stay quiet. We don’t want to attract attention.”

Gordon will get his chance to go to Master Boss, I’ll make sure. Thought Scott.

“Here’s your room key and information booklet about the hotel. We hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you.” Virgil smiled and took them from her hand.

Their shared room was up near the top of the hotel. It wasn’t anything super fancy. Just your average hotel room. En suite in one corner, five beds against a wall, and a small balcony overlooking the city.

“This is cool.” Said John plainly as he unzipped his bag.

“Cool?!” Gordon flew his hands up in excitement, “This is amazing! Look at how much room we have.”

“It does seem a little extra just for one night,” Scott admitted.

“Pfffft. Who cares about extra. These hotels know the name, Tracy. They know Dad and they know us. No wonder we get special privileges.”

“Hmmm.”

“Now, Scott, can I please have the cash to go to Master Boss?”

“Gordon! You can’t just ask Scott for money. He’s not Dad, you know.” Virgil cried in shock at the question.

“Awww do I have to use my own?”

“YES!” The eldest shouted at him.

“OK. Whatever.” Gordon shrugged and went to dig his wallet out from his suitcase.

—

Gordon eventually came back from his shopping spree and had his arms full of bags! About three on each arm.

“For heaven's sake Gordon! What did you buy?” Virgil gasped at his blonde brother.

Gordon dropped the bags on the floor and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Haha,” he nervously laughed. “Well… err…”

“Oh give me that receipt.” Virgil snatched the list of purchases out of Gordon’s sweating hand.

“No, no!” The younger blonde tried to stop him.

Too late. Virgil’s eyes went wide as he read down the list. “You bought jeans that cost two hundred dollars?!” He cried.

“Did I hear that correctly?” John looked up from his book.

“Gordon, things are expensive here! You need to watch what you spend.”

“I’m sorry Virg,” he protested. “It’s just that there was a fifty percent off sale and I couldn’t help myself.”

“I don’t want to hear anymore.” Virgil picked up the six bags with ease and plonked them onto his bed. “Let’s go through these and choose between the stuff we can keep and stuff that we can send back.”

—

“Alright which movie shall we watch?” Alan picked up a range of DVDs from the pile in front of the TV they had in their room.

“I don’t know. Whatever you fancy.” John said simply.

Wow. That was first. Usually, Scott or Virgil chose the movie.

“Where is Virgil?” Gordon asked.

“That’s a point. He should have got the popcorn by now. Where’s he got to?” Scott wandered over to the small kitchen they had and there he was! There was Virgil standing by the popcorn machine and stuffing his face!

“Virgil!” Scott was appalled. “How dare you. That’s for all of us to share.”

“Sorry,” the black-haired brother responded, his mouth full, “I wanted to taste it but I got out of control. You’d be surprised how hungry you get when on holiday.”

“Aww, and it’s the toffee flavour. The good stuff. Is there any left?”

“Oh yes, loads.”

“Good. Now hurry up into the main room, we’re all waiting.”

—

The girl's scream echoed through the hotel room. They were watching a horror film. Alan’s least favourite. The monster in it had revealed itself. Rich black body and sharp bloody claws that could rip anything apart in seconds. Gordon insisted on switching off the lights as they watched for “extra effect”. Alan had — very foolishly — said yes to that idea and now instantly regretted it.

Alan was shaking. His heart beating like a drum in his ears and palms sweating madly as he continued to watch. That was the ending of it. The ending of the movie. Just when Alan thought he was going to have a panic attack, the closing credits came up and it was all over.

“Oi give the popcorn back Virg!” Gordon shouted as he made a grab for the bowl.

“Get your own,” Virgil snapped back, “this has been mine throughout the whole movie.”

“Sharing is caring!”

Then the physical fight came. Gordon leaped onto Virgil’s chest sending him backward and the bowl flying out of his arms. They were on the floor together: slapping, punching, kicking. You name it.

“Boys please.” Scott rubbed a weary hand across his face. “It’s late and we have to fly to London in England tomorrow.”

“London? I’ve been there before.” Said Virgil.

“Yeah, that’s the episode all about you,” Alan added.

“It’s a bit unfair that you get an entire episode all about you and none of us get that.” Agreed Gordon.

“I got one because I’m amazing. The fans love me,”

I wonder why thought Alan sarcastically.

“Wow now he’s really flexing the popularity,” John added in.

“Sorry, can’t help it,” smirked Virgil, “you know how much I love it.”

“Just stop. It makes you sound stupid. I don’t know why you care so much. Anyway, enough of this. Bed now.” Scott’s words were firm.


	7. (Part 6, Bit 1) London City

London, England.

One of the most iconic and well-known cities in the world.

The Tracys had to leave the hotel in Tokyo at 7:00 AM. They went on Fireflash, the superjet that went incredibly fast. Even with the speed, the plane still got to London when it was evening. The sun had already set! They didn’t care. London looked way more beautiful at night because of its lights. And the London Eye was a popular attraction for tourists.

When Fireflash landed at the airport, the boys put on their shades and left causally. Attracting mass amounts of attention wasn’t in Scott’s holiday plan. There was a light breeze in the air and other planes could be seen.

Alan’s suitcase bumped down the steps and onto the concrete at the bottom. He breathed in and out and sighed. This world tour was so lovely. He’s completely forgotten about International Rescue!

The five strolled into the airport itself. It was packed! Families and business people were everywhere.

“This is madness,” Alan whispered to Gordon.

“Uh-huh. Totally agree with you. Just stay low-key. And don’t mention the rescue organization.”

—

They went through security without any mishaps, had tea then got a bus to the hotel. What a day it’d been!

“Geez, traveling is exhausting,” John puffed.

Scott simply yawned a response.

“Man I cannot wait to get into our hotel room and crash out on the bed,” Alan was now developing shadows under his eyes. The poor baby looked so tired.

Virgil was distracted by the London activity outside. He’d been here before. He knew exactly what it was like at night. The bus passed the original entrance to the London Underground. It wasn’t running anymore and Virgil had to blink twice to make sure it was still there. The bus pulled into the closest stop nearest the hotel and the brothers got off. Now that the sun as fully gone down, it was chilly; even in summer! The team trudged towards the hotel entrance. Alan could practically feel the softness of the bed growing stronger as he neared it.

Virgil got distracted again with something on his phone. And because he wasn’t looking where he was going, that’s when disaster struck. He slammed right into a man he didn’t know, dressed in tough-looking clothes with a black bomber jacket and a snake tattoo down his arm.

“Oi watch where you’re going!” The man spat.

“Sorry,” Virgil apologized, “I didn’t see you.”

The man raised an eyebrow, “I swear I’ve seen you around before.”

“No… you haven’t.” Said Virgil slowly, his braveness being dampened down rapidly.

“Yes, I have! Give your sunglasses here!” He snatched the shades off Virgil’s face.

Virgil gasped. Too late.

The London man cried out, “Ah-ha! I knew it. You’re Virgil Tracy. Thunderbird 2 pilot and one of Jeff Tracy’s sons. Hey ol’ everyone, we’ve got the Tracy sons here!”

Attention came quickly. Exactly what Scott didn’t want. As the mass amount of people came running towards them, Scott shouted, “Run!”

And the five ran.

“Nice going Virg,” Gordon yelled as he legged it.

“That guy just took the glasses off my face. What was I meant to do?!”

The Tracys kept on running far away but then something pinged in Virgil’s head, “I know where we can go! Follow me!”

The second oldest led his brothers to the entrance of the London Underground. Of course, the whole place was old and deserted now but it would be a perfect throw-off. No one would know where they had disappeared to! The Tracys were fast runners and had given themselves some spare seconds to run into the dark tunnels.

Success.

Breathes of pure relief were shed across all five.

“That… was too close,” Scott leaned against a wall which was covered in damp. Gross.

“Far too close,” Gordon nodded. “Virg how did you know about this?”

“Let’s just say,” said Virgil, “Grandma taught me a few things… the last time I was here.” A wink.

“And I’m gonna say,” John piped up. “Can we please go back up to the surface? It’s cold down here and I want that lovely warm soft bed at the hotel.”

—

The hotel was amazing! Rich red carpet on the floor and up the dark oak stairs. A massive chandelier hung from the domed ceiling and long red curtains surrounded each set of floor-to-ceiling windows. It was a proper five-star place.

“Surname?” The administrator asked when the boys got to the main desk.

“It’s Tracy.” Said Scott.

The woman’s eyebrows went up as she read the search results on her computer screen. “Scott Tracy?” She asked looking up.

The oldest cleared his throat. “Yes, that’s me. And my brothers.”

They waved from behind him.

“Are you…?” She woman began.

“Yes, we are.” Scott pulled the sunglasses off his face quickly and then slipped them back on.

“Riiight.” The woman said slowly. “Here’s your room key and I hope you enjoy your stay.”

—

“Ahhhhh,” Alan sighed dreamily as he nustled deeper into the soft sheets of his bed.

“I could repeat that a thousand times,” said John as he lay back, “these mattresses are so comfy. Aren’t they Alan?”

No response. The baby was asleep already.

Scott laughed a little and slid off his bed to tuck Alan in. “Virgil, can I have your assistance?”

Virgil came out of the bathroom and picked Alan up gently. Scott slid the duvet off the mattress and Virgil placed the baby blonde down. Alan didn’t even stir. Scott pulled the duvet up and kissed his forehead. “Night night baby. Sleep well.” Then stood up straight.

“OK boys ready to— oh.” The leader got a small shock. His brothers were fast asleep. They hadn’t even got dressed in their nightclothes. Gordon was cuddled up in Virgil’s arms in his bed and John slept alone normally. Looking back at Alan, Scott sighed and got properly ready himself. They had the whole day in London tomorrow but had to be off at 10:30 PM to get the plane to New York. The final destination.

Then back home on A Little Lightning to Tracy Island.

Scott clambered into his bed and lay on his back for a few moments. He too was so tired from the flight. It wasn’t long before he felt his eyes closing and brain switching off.

Then it was nothing other than a well deserved restful sleep.


	8. (Part 6, Bit 2) A Public Show/Off to New York

“Alright boys, do you know what you need to do?” Kate asked the brothers.

“Yes, Miss.” Said Scott and smiled at her.

It was the next morning in London and the hotel they were staying in had a whole show prepped for the fans in the afternoon. It was simple. All morning, the Tracys had practiced a dance routine and been through a song they had to sing together. The song was Good to be Bad from Disney’s Descendants 3. But of course they weren’t actually bad; it was just the name of the song. So they changed the name to Good to be a Tracy and edited a few lyrics. The show was going to be set on London Bridge. The local services had rerouted all traffic especially so there could be no risk of people getting run over.

“Shall we go through the song just one more time? To make sure your voices are in pitch?”

The boys looked at each other and nodded.

“Brilliant! Get into your positions.” Kate was the head of the London hotel they were staying in. She was so lovely. She went over to the music player and clicked play.

There wasn’t an intro to the song; it got immediately into the lyrics. They all began together.

—

The practice went perfectly. Then suddenly they could hear massive amounts of cheers coming from outside the hotel. Their fans. They were waiting for the big show. The hotel (by the way) was right next to London Bridge.

An announcement was made over all the surrounding speakers from the city mayor:

“Attention London city, today is the day. International Rescue will be giving you an exclusive show of their skills and a wonderful personal act. So, without further ado, please give it up, for the Tracy Brothers!”

And that was it. That was their cue. Kate began the music publicly throughout the speakers located around London Bridge and they were off. The screams and cheers from the crowds were deafening! Though it felt good to be in front of people who knew and appreciated who they were.

When Gordon got to his line he went around his set of fans and high-fived the ones nearest the railings. That was another thing. The fans had been split up into sets and were placed around the bridge. Each set had its own section, parted off from the other with a metal railing.

It was amazing and the performance went so well! It went just like planned. Afterwards, the crowd went wild. All the little kids there squealed with happiness. The Tracys waved as Kate handed a microphone over to Scott. He took a breath and spoke into once the cheering had died down:

“It’s wonderful to be here,” he began and smiled. “I honestly thought that I’d never go on a world tour. None of us did,” he indicated to his brothers, “but we are and it’s been a crazy amazing journey. We’ve been to Sydney Australia, Tokyo Japan, and now here. London England,”

The fans cheered again.

“The final destination is New York in America and we can’t wait, oh…”

Kate tapped him on the shoulder gave him a slip of paper with names and questions on it. Questions from fans!

“We’ve had submissions! First question is: where is Tracy Island located? That one’s from Oscar. Well erm we can’t tell you that otherwise International Rescue wouldn’t be a secret organisation anymore,” Scott giggled nervously but also in a jokey way. “Anyway, where is Oscar? Can you show yourself?”

There was a shout of a man somewhere from the crowd. Scott saw his waving his arms wildly and with a young boy sitting on his shoulders, a huge grin of happiness on his face.

“Ah there you are Oscar! Hello. Virgil do you want to take over the mic?”

“Sure,” the second oldest took it from Scott’s hand. “Alright, what’s the next question? What’s your favourite colour? That ones by Ashley. Can you give me a shoutout Ashley? Where are you?”

A whistle was heard and a little girl with her mum and dad cried out.

“Hi! Now obviously my favourite colour is green. But I also do like white and blue.”

—

The question session went amazingly well and the brothers met so many fans. There was a meet-n-greet at the end and a chance for pictures. One teenage girl called Lisa came up and was a huge fan of Gordon. Gordon kissed her on the cheek after her picture.

It was the best day for the English fans.

Then evening swung around and it was time to pack the bags and leave for the airport. The Tracys were going to leave on Fireflash for New York, USA.

The final destination of their world tour. It’d been a blast! The whole experience was so cool, especially for the tinies.

The flight would be a total of about six hours. But it would be so worth it in the end. Gordon had bragged on about how New York had some of the trendiest and most expensive designer clothing stores and he was desperate to shop at some.

“Yes Gordon,” Scott sighed, “you can shop at those places when we’ve settled in. But please don’t buy so much stuff. Your closet will be overflowing with clothes if your not careful.”

“Whatever.” Gordon smirked.

The way that the boys were seated was that Virgil was in front of Scott and Alan with Gordon and John at right behind Alan. As usual, the younger blondes had demanded the window seats.

“Hey guys! Check this out,” Virgil turned around from his seat in Fireflash. He was holding a magazine. “It says that right now in New York hundreds of fans are expecting International Rescue’s grand arrival. Cool right?”

“Yeah it’s cool,” Scott nodded, then he lowered his voice to barely a whisper, “but I’m not ok with the fact that we’ve made the press. The organisation is meant to be a secret.”

“Oh relax Scott,” John looked away from the window. “It’s not a big deal. It’s rare we make these entrances anyway so I doubt anyone in public will recognise us.”

Scott raised his eyebrows, “Remember what happened in London?”

“That was the man’s fault not mine.” Virgil said.

Just then an announcement was made over the comms:

“All passengers onboard Fireflash please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare for takeoff. We hope you have a comfortable flight.”

The plane sped up at it taxied down the runway. Then everyone felt the final acceleration as it lifted into the air.

New York here we come. Thought Scott as he continued to read his book.


	9. New York City (NYC)

“New York City. The USA. Oh, Gordon isn’t this exciting?”

“Yes Virgil, as a matter of fact… oh ooh!” Gordon fell down the final few steps and onto the concrete pavement. He was surrounded by luggage.

“Gordon are you alright?” Virgil turned around to look at his blonde brother.

“Uh, yes, I am thank you.”

The Tracys set off to their hotel immediately. No time could be wasted.

“Tell me again why I have to carry almost all your bags?” Gordon grunted as he trudged along.

“Because you were pissing me off during the flight,” Virgil rolled his eyes. “You know that!”

“On the whole, I think I’d rather have stayed in London alone,”

“Well, at least it isn’t raining.”

Virgil spoke too soon. At that second, it started chucking it down! Thank God they’d all bought umbrellas.

“Ah here’s my umbrella.” Gordon opened his suitcase and found his yellow squid umbrella.

“Why does it need to rain the second we step out into American light?” Alan complained as he avoided large puddles.

“Don’t ask me,” said John plainly, “we can’t do anything to change the weather.”

—

When they arrived at the hotel, like the others, they were given their room key and settled in immediately. They had a wonderful view of the Statue of Liberty. What a wonderful place New York was, even though it was loud thanks to the car horns honking away.

“Right Scott,” Gordon began the second he plonked his suitcase on his bed, “take me shopping.”

“Gordon,” John gasped. “Manners please.”

“Whatever. Scott, please can you take me shopping?”

“Better.”

“Sorry Gordo,” Scott shook his head. “I’ve had enough traveling for one day. Take Alan with you. You two can go together.”

“Er Scott,” Virgil interrupted, “Alan and Gordon in a big city? Shopping alone? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“They’ll be fine Virg. They can look after themselves, can’t you?”

The tinies looked at each other, “Yes we can!” Alan confirmed a smile on his face at the news.

“Brilliant. Take your phones with you and don’t forget your wallets. Have fun.”

In moments, the two blondes were out the door and into the city. Scott had heard Virgil’s worry. He secretly hoped they could take care of themselves.

—

The city streets were amazing for the tinies. The classic New York yellow taxis went zooming by and the lights were incredible. There was so much to see and do. Tall skyscrapers towered over the people and music played on nearly every street corner.

“Hey, Alan look at this!” Gordon ran over to a poster on a bulletin board. “It says that tonight in the City Dome, International Rescue will make their grand entrance in front of their fans. How cool!”

“Wow, that’s amazing. We’re going to have too much fun on that stage,”

“Uh-huh,”

An idea came to Alan’s mind and he smiled at it, “I’m tired of these regular clothes. How about we… change it up a bit.” He smirked.

“I love your thinking little bro. And I know the perfect place.”

—

Gordon led Alan to Time Square. This was — according to his magazine — where the designer stores were. Yellow taxi cabs flew (well, not flew) but zipped everywhere at speed. To the people, they were like blurs of yellow. Including Alan and Gordon.

“This place is beautiful…” Alan mused as he gazed around at the large lit-up adverts on buildings.

“Yeah but also hectic,” said Gordon, grabbing his arm. “Come on, I see the place I want.”

Gordon led Alan to a store called Bad Boys. It was a men's designer shop that sold cool clothes like ripped jeans, bomber jackets, and fancy belts. Virgil certainly would’ve loved it here. He’d always wanted to try on a bomber jacket but Dad never let him as he thought it “wasn’t his style”.

“God what a place!” Alan blurted out the second they stepped into the humongous shop.

“Yep, just like it was in my magazine.”

“Hello, boys. Can I help you with anything?” A different voice interrupted their thoughts. It was another man around the same age and with the name ‘Nathan’ on his name tag.

“Oh hi,” Gordon smiled, “we are looking for the Hawaiian and summer clothes section if you have one of course.”

“We?” Alan gasped. So this had been Gordon’s plan all along!

Gordon shot Alan a look that said “shut up!”

“Yes, we have a summer clothes section,” said Nathan. “Follow me.”

Gordon practically dragged Alan to his dream clothing section of the store. The second the youngest Tracy stepped in, he seriously considered ringing a cab and going straight back to the hotel. In there, was Alan's clothes nightmare. It was like stepping out of the real world, and into the summer fashion world.

Of course, it was Gordon’s paradise and he fell in love immediately. Alan groaned in annoyance but also like “get me out of here” because he knew they’d be there for hours. “Hey Gordo,” little bro said, “I need to take this call. I’ll be back soon.”

“OK, don’t be too long. I’ll be over here absorbing all this cool fashion.”

Alan dashed out of the summer clothes section and into the main department. He whipped out his phone and dialed Scott’s number.

“Alan? Are you OK? Has anything happened?” Scott’s concerned voice said into Alan’s ear.

“Scott,” he whispered, “I can’t speak too loud or Gordon will hear me. But he’s brought me to a men's designer clothes place called Bad Boys and is going on a literal shopping spree. I don’t know how I’ll get out of it!”

“Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No no! Then he’ll get really suspicious. I must do this myself,”

“Are you sure? Whereabouts are you?

“Time Square. And yes I’m sure,”

“Why didn’t you just tell Gordon and take a cab back to the hotel?”

“Gordon grabbed me and led me in before I considered that thought. Trust me, I’ll find a way out.”

“Alright but if you need anything just ring again OK?”

“I will. Thanks, bro.”

And then he cut the call.

“Hey, Alan! Wanna try this on? I think it’ll suit you.” Gordon had a slightly evil smile on his face as he held up a shirt with beach patterns on it. Alan gulped.

“Er no thanks, bro. I’m good without any new clothes.”

This was going to be a long day in NYC.


	10. (Part 8, Bit 1) The City Dome

When the tinies got home from their shopping spree, they had a very special guest come to their room. It was the head director of their final show! He took them to the City Dome a massive circular building with a domed roof/ceiling right next to the Statue of Liberty. It had a beautiful architecture that Virgil really approved.

“Wow, this is huge!” Scott gazed around in awe when they stepped in.

The City Dome was completely empty for now but in the evening, those doors would open and fans would flood in, wanting to see their international heroes.

“OK boys this is how it’ll work,” the director said, “you five will be lifted up on the platform that’s right now underneath the stage. Then one of you, it doesn’t matter who, but preferably one of the older ones, will take the mic and make a speech,”

“Like I did in London.” Scott interrupted.

“Yes, Mr Tracy. Then you’ll leave the stage while the fans cast their vote. A vote to see who is the most popular or famous.”

“Ooh that’s me no doubt.” boasted Virgil smugly.

Alan glared at him.

“We’ll see. Then once all the votes are in, I’ll announce the winner and one of you will get this special crown.”

The director pointed to a plinth in the middle of the stage. On it was a golden crown protected by a glass case. It had gems all around it. It was stunningly gorgeous. Virgil and Alan stared at it in wonder, they both wanted it.

“Wow…” Virgil gazed, “it’s so pretty.”

“Yes, it is. Whoever gets it, the gems around the base will change to their colour. Am I right in saying your colours are silver, green, red, yellow, orange and blue?”

“Correct,” John nodded. “But blue is the colour we all wear. It’s the colour that connects us. The other five are our own.”

—

The director, who the boys found out his name was Steven, took them on a quick tour around the City Dome. They saw their own dressing rooms and everything. It was so cool!

They went back to the hotel to have a good rest before the evening. Once they had their official call, they went undercover to the City Dome — sunglasses and all — to start getting ready.

“Right. Belts, smiles, fans. Are you ready to rock New York?” Scott asked his brothers.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Gordon replied, “NYC is bigger than anywhere else we’ve been. I mean listen to the crowd outside!”

“I hear them. But we have to do it. It’s for the fans. It’s for the children who’ve probably been waiting a lifetime for this moment. No one ruin it,” Scott waved a smother hen finger at them.

“Let’s make this good.” John nodded slowly.

“OK boys. Onto the platform. It’s time.” Steven led them to the small metal stage underneath the main one above them.

“Wait! Where’s Alan?” Virgil saw that the little one wasn’t with them. “We can’t start without him!”

“But we have no choice Virg. The show is beginning now.” Scott was panicking on the inside with the fact that Alan wasn’t there.

Where the hell had he got to? And on such short notice.

“I’m sorry boys, but you’re due on stage now. We’ll have to leave him to come on his own.” Steven sighed and shook his head. “Though I will say, when I saw him earlier, he looked… scary. There were black lines going down his legs and arms and more than half his hair was black. Is it meant to be like that?”

Silence fell across the brothers.

—

Gordon almost fell over as the metal platform rose them up. As they neared the stage, they heard the roar of the crowd. It felt amazing. Then they got outside and saw what it was really like. Children lay everywhere with their parents but some of the older fans came with their friends.

The blinding lights fell on them and Steven handed Scott the mic.

“Hello!” Scott yelled. “Stage, band, New York City!”

Everyone erupted into cheers again.

“It’s so great to be here,” said Scott, “this world tour has been an amazing experience for all of us. You may have noticed one of us isn’t here. Unfortunately Alan…” Scott looked at his brothers with a tense face, “Alan can’t be here right now. We’re not gonna go into details. But besides that, I’m so so happy to be in New York. It’s been a really lovely relaxing break from our usual rescue business. Oh…”

Steven hopped onto stage to give Scott a piece of paper. “Oh, we have some exciting news. I’m not sure if you already knew this but you can vote,”

A gasp rippled across the building.

“You can vote for your favourite Tracy. And apparently whoever gets the most votes, is titled most famous and popular with this special crown.”

Right on cue, Steven pressed a button and the crown on its plinth rose up from the floor. Everyone began to clap and then whisper to their friends who they were voting for.

“Voting begins now. Once all the votes are in, Steven, the director of the show, will announce the winner and they’ll be crowned. We’ll see you later all you wonderful people! Make the best Tracy win!”

The brothers went back down on the platform as their fans cheered again.

Scott was being serious when he said “make the best Tracy win”. Virgil was sure it would be him but Alan was still missing.

“I’ll go and find him,” the black-haired brother said, “we’ll meet together in fifteen minutes. All the fans should’ve voted by then. Sound good?”

“OK, Virg.” Scott nodded reluctantly.


	11. (Part 8, Bit 2) Boss Battle

Alan was in the brothers’ main dressing room. He’d taken a broom and was sweeping away some bits on the floor. He was in a mood. A sad mood.

Virgil stood in the doorway. He saw his brother’s mood and smirked. He had a nasty little plan. As fast as lighting, he ran into the room and snatched Alan’s special trinket he kept on his red belt.

Virgil laughed meanly once it was in his grasp.

“Leave it. Give it back,” Alan stayed calm and held his hand out.

“Oh, silly me,” Virgil prepared to throw it, “I didn’t throw it hard enough the first time!”

But Alan saw it coming. He stopped Virgil’s strong arm from the chuck. “Don’t make the same mistake.” He glared at his older brother. He began to leave, brook still in one hand.

“Why are you leaving? Scared of being humiliated?” Taunted Virgil.

“Looks like you need more training,” Alan turned around to face him. “You’re nowhere near ready.” Then he threw the broom to one end of the room.

Virgil knew what was coming. The two boys began to circle the room, facing each other. “I’m going to show you what world fame looks like,”

“Are you sure about that?” Asked Alan.

“Quiet! Tonight these seats will be full. The world will be looking at me, adoring me.”

“Or not.” This time it was Alan’s turn to smirk.

“I already told you! You are nothing, you will always be nothing!”

Alan spun around fast and came face to face, well more like face to chest, with Virgil. “Only one way to find out. Right here, right now.”

Then the two jumped backwards so they could see each other full-body.

Alan started the fight with the attempt of a single punch to Virgil’s face. Of course, Virgil blocked it. Alan’s next move was sliding through his brother's legs so he was behind him then jumping up and kicking him hard in the back with both feet. Virgil stumbled forwards and fell to the foot. A sign of weakness! This was an advantage for Alan. He jumped over Virgil who now lay on the ground and tried to flee the room.

But Virgil was too quick. He grabbed Alan’s ankle sending him flying. Virgil laughed and stood up, ready to leave but Alan jumped up fast to did a swinging kick to Virgil’s chest. He cried out in pain which gave Alan the opportunity to make a run for it.

“Oh, you’re not escaping me that easy, rocket boy.” Hissed Virgil as he immediately gave chase.

The battle was on.

Alan ran down the corridor which was lined with other dressing room doors and also the entrances to the makeup, hairstyling and chill-out zones. Alan came to a dead end. Oh no! What now?! A large shadow loomed over him as he considered options.

“Haha,” Virgil snarled, “I’ve got you now.”

“Not exactly,” Alan replied. The corridor they were in was so narrow that Alan could climb up the walls just like Spider-Man with his legs and arms. He did this with speed and stepped onto Virgil’s strong, broad shoulders. Then jumped off, did a forwards flip and landed perfectly on his two feet.

“Wow, you really are a kickass baby aren’t you?” Virgil’s eyes widened at his brother's slick moves.

Alan kept on running but this time Virgil caught up. He picked Alan up and threw him against a wall! God, did it hurt! “Ow…” he winced.

“Ha, not so tough now are you?”

Alan wasn’t giving up that easy. He stood up and threw some hard punches at his brother — which Virgil avoided with ease — and also some more kicks. The second oldest then decided to punch Alan. He did his attempt but Alan bent back to avoid it.

—

Unfortunately, some fan had escaped the main area of the City Dome and had found his way into the section where the two brothers were. He stood at the end of the corridor in shock and amazement. “Oh my gosh…” he whispered. He then ran back to the massive crowd grabbed a spare mic from near the back and shouted out, “Battle!!”

Everyone cheered, even adults. They wanted to know who was battling who.

—

Back in the corridor, Virgil had picked up Alan again and flung him over his shoulder into a different room. A movie theatre.

Immediately the young blonde stood up and quickly challenged Virgil to a balancing duel. Together, they ran across the tops of the chairs in a pair landing and hopping over each one. That’s until Virgil saw an opportunity to take Alan down again. While Alan was passing him, he yanked his blonde hair. The baby cried out, “Ah!” before falling down into the seats. Virgil just continued on. Once he reached the end, he looked back to see Alan only just getting up from his fall. He smirked at his win on that one. Alan came up to him and growled in his face. This fight was NOT ending there!

The littlest Tracy jumped up and did a forward flip over Virgil’s head, using his shoulders for support.

“Geez, little bro! Where did you learn to flip like that?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out, Virg. Come get me.”

This time Virgil growled and took chase. Alan led the run to the entrance to the main area of the City Dome — where all the fans were. The little blonde burst through the doors, catching everyone’s attention but Virgil pushed him down. Down a flight of stairs. It wasn’t a big one. Only four steps. But it still hurt. Everyone around the battling brothers grimaced at the thought of the pain. He saw Scott. Scott was there with Gordon and John, watching.

“You can do it.” The eldest Tracy whispered to his little one.

Alan’s eyebrows went down in determination and he clenched his hands into fists to help himself up again.

Virgil came back after some of his fans congratulated him on his so far win over Alan. He smiled at them all before turning around and coming faced with the blonde again, looking as ready as ever. He spun around neatly and he and Virgil jumped down a longer, bigger flight of stairs, onto the stage! Again, landing perfectly on two feet.

Now Virgil looked amazed. Alan really wasn’t going down easily. He breathed in and out a little quicker than usual before they both looked at the end of the stage. There was no railing to keep people from falling off. So Alan saw a chance. Winking at his brothers watching, and indicating to Virgil what they were going to do, they both turned so that their backs were facing the end. The two brothers began running backwards on tiptoe. They were going to see who fell off the stage and who knew when it was coming.

At the final moment, Virgil seemed to gain Alan’s fear and Alan gained Virgil’s confidence. Virgil fell off the stage! Off the stage and into the crowd who rapidly made way for the falling Tracy. Alan — however — did the most epic stunt anyone had ever seen! He’d jumped off the stage edge and done a backwards flip. Really high into the air. Everything felt to go into slow motion as the fans and brothers watched in shock. After Alan did his backwards flip, he somersaulted three times backwards before doing another flip (in midair) and coming down!

Just like that.

He made it seem and look effortless!

Once the little blonde had landed on his two feet everyone burst into wild applause. The fans who’d been checking to see if Virgil was OK completely abandoned him and went over to Alan. Virgil opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He couldn’t believe Alan, the youngest Tracy of International Rescue, had just beaten him!

Scott, John and Gordon came rushing over to Alan and helped him up.

“Alan that was amazing!” Gordon cried.

“How did you do that?!” Scott gasped.

“I didn’t even know I could,” Alan let out a sign of appreciation, “I guess I was too determined so it just came out of me. I didn’t know I had such confidence.”

Virgil came over to congratulate his brother. “Alan…” he began. “I don’t know what to say. You were amazing. I hope you win the crown after a stunt like that.”

“Me too.”

“Listen up everyone!” Steven had taken the mic and was standing on stage. “After that unexpected but incredible performance by the Tracys, I have some great news. The votes are in. It’s time to see who will get crowned most famous.”


	12. Who Gets the Crown?

“First of all, I’d like to say how wonderful it is to see so many of you here tonight. You all did an amazing job of staying calm after the… unplanned events of earlier. And now, without further ado, it’s time to see which Tracy gets the popularity crown,”

Steven was on stage with all the fans watching eagerly. The brothers (all of them) were on stage too, standing together, and secretly hoping it would be them.

“The Tracy brother with the most votes is…”

The tension in the air was so strong that you could almost cut it with a knife.

“Virgil!”

The crowd fell into immediate applause and cheers the second his name was readout.

Virgil was kinda expecting it but after Alan’s epic stunt, he hadn’t really wanted it anymore. So this was a sort of surprise.

“Virgil Tracy. Come and collect your prize.” Steven tool the crown out of its glass case on the plinth.

The second oldest got onto one knee as Steven placed the crown onto his soft black hair. It shimmered there before the jewels on it changed from their plain colour to bright emerald green. It went really well with the gold base.

Scott, Gordon, and John were beyond proud.

The fans all hushed silent as they soaked in the sight.

Alan on the other hand wasn’t happy at all. He thought after his crazy jump that everyone would want him to be The One. Turned out he was wrong.

The anger welled up inside him before something in him snapped. Alan couldn’t take it anymore. He took off. Took off away from Gordon, John, and Scott and towards Virgil. The crown was all he wanted.

“Alan come back!” Scott cried out.

Too late.

Alan jumped up and snatched the crown off Virgil’s head.

Everyone gasped.

“Alan what are you doing?!” Virgil asked without hesitation.

No response. The little blonde just stood there, breathing heavily, chest moving up and down rapidly as he held the prized possession in his grasp. Then he took off again. Took off on a death run, crown still in hand.

“Alan!” Virgil shouted and took chase. “Alan stop!”

He stopped him at the stage edge.

“Alan, I know you,” he began. “You are so much more than just a villain. And you have to believe me because I’ve been there. So I tell you, do not put that crown on your head. It’s far too powerful and you won’t be able to control its magic,”

There was a collection of gasps from around the dome.

“Do not let your pride get in the way of something you really want.”

Alan glared at Virgil without saying anything. Eventually, he opened his mouth, “Do you want me to expose you? To tell your fans the truth of what you’ve been doing to them?”

“N-No.” Virgil stuttered. Now he was getting nervous.

“You sure?” The littlest brother held up a very familiar object.

“My spellbook!” Virgil gasped and lunged to grab it.

“Well I’m telling them anyway,” Alan snatched the precious book away. “You hypnotized them!”

More gasps from the crowd.

“Virgil?” Scott asked, his eye wide with shock. “Is this true?”

The raven-haired brother swallowed before confessing. “Yes. It’s true.”

Alan was triumphant!

“You… you monster!” Scott yelled. “How dare you!”

Around the stage, little kids and their parents began backing away from Virgil, now scared of him.

The second eldest was speechless. “OK, Alan,”

“Quiet!” Alan yelled back.

The City Dome was in total silence now.

The young blonde stared at Virgil some more before saying, “Let me tell you one thing. I’m sick of people telling me who to me, but now my badder side is finally free. I’m not gonna fake it cause I’m taking you down, this Tracy was always meant for wearing a crown!”

That’s when the black, evil magic that had been slowly spreading through his body since Virgil’s 20th birthday completed its toll. And the final streak of blonde in Alan’s hair went black.

With pure anger in his eyes, he placed the crown on his head.


	13. Nightmare Tracy

The first thing Alan was aware of was the bright red light coming from the crown’s gems. They flew together making a ball of magic in midair. Alan began to float up. Up into the air as the ball grew bigger. It was getting dangerously close to the youngest Tracy, threatening to engulf him.

Everyone in the City Dome stared in fear, confusion, and shock.

Virgil looked up at his brother with the same terror in his eyes as the others. Same with Alan. He was now terrified.

Then Alan dropped his trinket which Virgil had given back to him after the battle. It clattered on the stage.

“Uh, help… me…” Alan cried out as the magic took over his body. “AHH!”

The last thing everyone heard was Alan’s scream before he was swallowed into the ball of magic.

They saw his silhouette from inside.

That’s when his transformation took place. Alan’s eyes burst open, their colour now devilish red. Then his usual rescue red belt changed to inky black. The blue on his uniform went to the same super dark blue Virgil had when he went evil. The next thing to go black was the controller on his left wrist.

But what happened next was what really snapped Virgil out of his daze.

Wings! Red and black wings grew from Alan’s back meaning he could now fly!

The transformation was complete. The ball of magic disappeared revealing the new monster. It looked like something straight out of a nightmare.

Alan laughed evilly before saying, “You were right, Virgil. I wasn’t strong enough to control the crown’s magic before, but I am now!”

A streak of his newly found dark magic flew down his arm and into the palm of his hand. Then it exploded from his hand and into thin air, creating what looked like a time rip.

“Wait? Is that…?” Virgil squinted as he peered through the rift.

He saw people on public transport wearing face masks and carrying hand sanitizer. They were staying a distance away from others and not making any sort of close contact.

“2020!”

“What is it?” John asked.

“Look through the time rip,” said Virgil. “We can see into the year 2020. The year of coronavirus. That’s why everyone’s wearing face masks!”

The fans in the City Dome began screaming and running away to safety as Alan threw more magic into the air, creating more time rips.

“Hey, where are you going?” Scott demanded as he saw Steven trying to get away.

“Anywhere to avoid that monster! And I suggest you do the same.” Said, Steven.

Avoid? No. They were International Rescue. It was their job to make sure everyone got to safety.

The brothers on the ground gave each other a look. Virgil addressed his now evil brother. “Alan, you can’t do this,”

“Why not? There’s a whole other world right there, and it’s just filled with magic,”

He threw and made another time rift.

“But you’re destroying this world to get it!”

“So what? There’s more magic there. And I want to be in control of it all!”

Nightmare flew higher into the air and this time, he made a ball of magic with both his hands and then threw it to the floor. Thank god the people had cleared the area. It hit the concrete and it fell in! With part of the floor now gone, everyone could see into 2020. It was basically a massive time hole in the floor with red cracks spreading from it. Unfortunately, some people hadn’t been so lucky and they were dangling off the edge with only one hand, and in a few cases, trying to save someone else. The brothers nodded at each other then jumped off the stage to help everyone.

Gordon looked towards the hole in the floor to see a teenage girl trying to help her friend.

“Hang on!” She yelled over to another who was dangling from the edge, into the time rift.

“Obviously!” She shouted back.

Her fingers were slipping quickly and suddenly… she let go! And fell into the hole. Into 2020.

But… “I’ve got you!” Gordon had saved her. Thank god.

Virgil still had Alan’s trinket in his hand. His gaze shot around his brothers who were desperately trying their best to rescue as many as they could.

Then the most miraculous thing happened. Scott, John, Gordon, and himself began to glow in their own colours. Silver, orange, yellow and green. Virgil’s eyes were wide with wonder and amazement. He glanced back at the trinket again and then turned to face Alan in the air.

“This isn’t the way!” He cried. “I know you feel powerful right now like you can have everything you want. I’ve been where you are. I’ve made the same mistake you’re making. I stole the Hood’s sceptre and just like you, I was overwhelmed by the power it contained. I thought it could get me everything I wanted,”

“Oh you’re wrong,” sneered Alan, “unlike you, I can have everything I want!”

“No, you can’t. Even with all that magic and power, you’ll still be alone. True magic comes from leadership, laughter, communication, and strength.”

The glowing magic from each brother flew towards the trinket that Virgil held, gathering inside and combining into one. The second eldest rose up slowly into the air. “I understand you, Alan. And I want to show you the most important power of all.”

Then Virgil snapped the trinket shut and threw it to the floor, it burst open and he was consumed by its hero magic. His rescue uniform changed into a whole new outfit. It consisted of tight fitting black jeans; a black, brown and green ¾ length sleeved T-shirt with fancy nature patterns on it, he got the boots from his normal clothes on and special black gloves which had the ends of his fingers showing. Along with all this, he grew his black wings again meaning he could fly up to Alan.

“The power of teamwork.” He finished his speech.

Alan sank back with a scared look on his face.

John, Gordon, and Scott gazed up at their reformed brother who was going to save them all with massive smiles on their faces.

Virgil used his newly found hero powers to close all the time rips and massive hole in the ground.

“Argh!” Alan looked around in anger to see his destruction fixed. He charged towards Virgil, magic in his palm and at the ready. Virgil did the same. They met in the middle and an explosion of bright light shot through the City Dome where their powers collided.

After they separated, the two boys had another duel with their powers. It was like when Virgil went against Scott on his birthday and the magic met in the middle again. They both pushed as much as they could to try and take each other down.

Much to Virgil’s annoyance, Alan got the upper hand and managed to force his magic closer to him. Alan laughed wickedly but Virgil wasn’t going down easy. For a split second, Virgil thought he’d lose this battle and put New York in danger but something wonderful happened.

Gordon left the teenage girls and ran towards his little brother. “Alan!” He called up. Alan got distracted. Gordon put on his best sad puppy eyes.

“Gordon?” Alan whispered. And for a moment his eyes went back to being their bright innocent blue.

Virgil saw his chance. With the last of his remaining strength, he pushed his magic towards Alan with force. Alan’s eyes went big and he realized it was too late to fight back. “NO!” He screamed and his voice seemed to echo around for a while. He was taken over by Virgil’s blast and sucked into a trance.

Now together alone in a beam of magic spreading from the floor to ceiling, Virgil slowly began making his way towards Alan. “Take my hand, Alan,” he said, “let me show you there’s another way.”

At first, the youngest looked scared but then swallowed hard and took his elder's hand. His eyes were leaking tears now. He felt so bad. Finally, he realized his mistake. The moment their hands touched, a final streak of magic went from Virgil’s palm and up Alan’s arm, making its way into his heart and getting rid of all the evil magic that was there. Then the two held hands — still facing each other — and floated down. The beam of light went away gradually. Once they hit the ground again, it’d fully gone. Alan’s evil look has gone. What remained was his regular red sash and blue rescue uniform.

Through tears, the little one spoke, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“I know. And going by my own experiences, they’ll forgive you.”

“Those are our boys! Go International Rescue!” Shouted one of the teenage girls Gordon had saved.

“Go International Rescue!” All the fans responded. They then burst into wild applause.

The five brothers got into a line and held hands. They raised their arms up and smiled. Tonight had been crazy and amazing. The whole world tour had been amazing.

“I think we’ve got a show to finish.” John indicated to their fans surrounding the stage.

“Yes, we do. So let’s make it a good one.” Alan nodded his head.

And the rest of the show went beautifully.


	14. Heading Home

“I still can’t believe I really did that,” said Alan as he finished getting dressed after the show.

“Neither can I. I’m still sorry you didn’t get chosen. But in general, the crown wasn’t meant for you. I had no idea you wanted it that badly,” Virgil admitted his thoughts.

“Oh bro,” Alan paused and got something out. “I think this belongs to you.” He handed over the crown in which the gems on it had gone back to their plain boring colour.

Scott took it and Virgil knelt down onto one knee again. The eldest Tracy placed it onto his black hair and the gems went emerald green again. Just like they should.

“Perfect.” John gushed at the sight.

“Please John,” Virgil rolled his eyes playfully. “I’m not royalty, ya know.”

That’s when Scott’s phone began to ring. He took it out of his back pocket and saw that it was Jeff calling.

“Hi Dad,” Scott said once he pressed the green accept button.

“Hi, son. Just wanted to call and ask if you’ve had a wonderful time. I’ve missed you so much,”

“Oh, Dad it’s been wonderful! We’ve seen so much and met so many new people. Thank you so much for letting us go,”

“Don’t thank me. Thank the Colonel. She was the one to book the tickets and sort everything out,”

“Haha ok tell Casey I said hi then,”

“I will. See you in a few hours.”

“See ya. Love you!”

Then Scott ended the call. Time to board the yacht and set off back to the island. Back home.

—

On A Little Lightning, Gordon went into the pool and chilled there on his pink flamingo inflatable, John read his book on the poolside, Virgil claimed he felt seasick again and had made a mad dash for the nearest bathroom, and Alan… well… after his encounter with evil, he was just drained so he fell asleep.

As Scott was coming back from sending Alan off to sleep, he passed the bathroom and heard… crying? It sounded like sobs.

He knocked.

“Virgil? Is that you? Are you OK?”

“Yeah Scott,” came the muffled response. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. I hear crying. Come on out and we’ll talk about it,”

“Don’t want to,”

“Please bro. It’ll make you feel better.”

“Fine.”

The second oldest came out of the bathroom. He didn’t even look sick. So why was he in there? His face was red and blotchy though, so he’d definitely been crying.

“What’s the problem then?” Scott didn’t hesitate to get straight to the point.

“My fans. My fame. My popularity. Everything,”

“Just gone?”

“Yeah,”

Scott shuffled his feet before replying. “Look I get you’re upset about that. But I think Alan did the right thing to say the truth. If he hadn’t, then it could’ve been bad for the children who love you,”

“I get that. Ok, I’ll say the truth,”

Scott shoved his hands into his pockets and prepared for his brother's story.

“I wanted power. I wanted love and attention. But I didn’t want anyone else to take it. That’s why I used my spellbook and used the hypnotizing spell to make my fans stay with me. And get more. I even made you, and the others, think that the book was a diary instead so I wouldn’t get into trouble,”

“But do you realize how unfair that is on everyone else?”

“I do now,”

“Look, Virgil. I understand why you did it. But you, no one, can force fame. It isn’t something that comes with life.”

“I know. And now when people look at me, they see a monster. Maybe I should just let them know the real demon I am inside.”

“Don’t speak like that.”

“But it’s true!”

The two didn’t speak for a good few minutes. Then Virgil piped up quietly. “Remember my 20th birthday?”

“How can I forget?”

“I’m still so sorry for that. I didn’t know how powerful that sceptre was. And when it was too late, I’d already turned to evil. It’s all my fault.” Then he started to cry again.

“Virgil really. Don’t speak like that. None of it was your fault. The Hood had changed that to be your fate. Nothing could prevent it from happening,”

Virgil looked up at Scott with eyes full of hope, “At least it’s over now.” He whispered.

“Yes. It is.”

“Hey, guys! Come chill by the pool. The waters lovely!” Gordon’s voice came through the hall they were in.

Virgil looked at Scott. “Shall we?”

“Anything with you, little bro.”

— FIN —


End file.
